Curb Appeal

More Stunning Yard Makeovers From HGTV's Curb Appeal

Architect John Gidding helps homeowners turn their overgrown, underappreciated front yards into the envy of their neighborhood on HGTV's Curb Appeal. Check out the before-and-afters of his best makeovers.

Pin

Like

Tweet

Google +

Email

Open Gallery

32 Photos

Run-Down Victorian

Before: This stick-style Victorian home was one of the few on the block that had space for a yard, but the area wasn't being taken advantage of. Additionally, parts of the facade were dry-rotted and badly needed replacing.

Elegant and Inviting

After: Architect John Gidding gave the house a facelift with soft gray paint but also stayed true to its antique Victorian style. Plants and trees were brought in to create yard space where there was none before, and the landscaping was extended to the curb with permission of the city.

Fully Restored

After: Details of the crumbling, dry-rotted facade were fully rebuilt to their original state to keep from losing the home's Victorian charm.

Extended Portico

After: By rebuilding and adding 16 inches to the portico, architect John Gidding gave the homeowners covered porch space they didn't have before.

Clean Slate

Before: The inside of this house had been completely remodeled, but the outside was shabby and marketed to the homeowners as a "clean slate."

Landscape Masterpiece

After: A brick path was laid in three different levels with the lowest level at the yard's gate, the middle level at the seating area and the upper level near the entryway. To save money, the window sashes were painted a bold red that popped against the existing house color.

Fresh Flowers

One-of-a-Kind Seating

After: The curvature of the bench made this one of the most difficult seating projects in Curb Appeal history. Once it was finished, though, it pulled together the stone wall and picket fence elements in the yard and gave the homeowners a place to enjoy their new outdoor space.

Crumbling Slump

Before: This antique Victorian home had a lot of character and beautiful bay windows, but the foundation was literally turning to dust near the porch, and the shoddy facade and yard made the neighbors wish it wasn't there at all.

Updated and Upgraded

After: Small details, like the silver-leaf designs that make different areas of house glimmer as the sun crosses the sky, added up to return the run-down Victorian to its former glory. To help the crumbling foundation, pressure-treated wood and concrete were used to reinforce the weak areas.

Tags:

Charming Garden

After: The built-in bench faces a Victorian-style garden with painted lattice and a decorative wall fountain filled with plants rather than water.

Striking Contrast

After: A magenta door stands out against the house's pale blue color and creates an inviting focal point on the front of the home.

Half-Finished Project

Before: The homeowners started the process to re-paint their stairs but never quite got around to finishing the process. Additionally, the black window trim and black garage doors are too dark against the house's main yellow color.

Split-Path Driveway

Lavish Lighting

After: The outdated globe porch light was replaced by a copper hanging fixture that can be seen from the curb. Replacing light fixtures is a cheap and easy way to dress up a space.

Cookie-Cutter Brick

Before: This house was perfect for the family living there except for its boring facade that had zero character or personality.

Extraordinary Facade

After: The red brick was painted a light gray, and the old shade screens were replaced with custom storm shutters to keep out the harsh sun and heat.

Grand Entry

After: The entryway turned out to be one of the grandest ever built on Curb Appeal at double the height of an average entry and equipped with its own stained-glass window and three different lighting elements.

Arbor Area

Bridging the Gap

After: A bridge over a river-rock bed connects the yards of two neighbors. The bridge represents the close friendships that have formed in this tight-knit community while also giving the neighborhood kids something to play on.

Tags:

Fixer-Upper

Before: The homeowners bought this bungalow planning to fix it up themselves, but they only managed to start several projects, never complete them. The top-to-bottom beige paint and blank yard made this the most uninteresting house on the block.

Finally Fixed

After: A grayish-green color was used as the main paint color on the house and the taupe window sashes were painted white. A new concrete path surrounded by plants and flowers extends to the driveway, so there's no need to walk through the grass and mud to get to the door.

Tags:

Room to Lounge

After: The corners of the porch were wrapped in siding before, making the porch a confined, uninviting area. With those torn down and replaced with multiple columns, the porch is now a perfect place to sit and relax.

The Little Things

After: Beams were installed into the ceiling of the porch to bring out the house's Craftsman character, and crown molding in each square of the ceiling makes the space feel more like an additional room in the home. The robin's-egg blue door is the perfect splash of color to offset the largely neutral palette.

Tags:

Too Commercial

Before: This building has housed several businesses, but for the first time ever, it's being used as a residential space. It still looked like a commercial building, though. The homeowners wanted privacy, but the picket fence and overgrown bushes didn't fit with the home's style.

Open and Organized

After: Rectangular path steps and a wooden bench complete the yard and make it functional for the family. With the overgrown, spider-infested bushes gone, there's plenty of space for the children to run around and play.